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and that you selected for its armament five of the captured guns, viz, the 32-pounder and two small Parrott rifles and two 12-pounder howitzers, which he had sent to you a day or two after your interview with him. Besides these guns, Major Anderson, of the Tredegar Works, has been instructed to send you a rifled columbiad for the same battery. It is presumed these guns will be a sufficient armament for the battery in question. If, however, the rifled columbiad should not be made available at Evansport, it is conceived it might be used with effect at the mouth of Aquia Creek.

Very respectfully, yours, &amp;c.,

S. COOPER,

Adjutant and Inspector General.

CAMP GAULEY, August 23, 1861.

Honorable L. P. WALKER, Secretary of War:

SIR: I have been enabled, after some days' march, to cross the Gauley River at a point near the village of Summersville, in the county of Nicholas, which we now command. It has been heretofore held by a strong force of the enemy, and constituted an important link in their chain of communications and defenses between the Kanawha River and the forces in the northeast, under Rosecrans. I learned that all the forces from this point had been sent to the mouth of Gauley, with a confident exsection of an attack from us there. Immediately upon hearing this I turned suddenly in the night, and by a forced march, and succeeded in crossing the Gauley river 25 miles above its mouth, and in taking possession of this pass and position, which effectually cuts the enemy's line of communication and enables us, when sufficiently strong, either to attack General Cox in his flank or rear, on the Kanawha River, or to advance against the flank of General Rosecrans, should General Lee so direct.

If three good regiments could be sent to me by way of the Kanawha turnpike to replace the Legion of General Wise, which can be used to better advantage by General Lee, I think the entire valley of Kanawha can be speedily reoccupied and permanently held. I cannot too strongly enforce upon you the importance of this measure, and the sooner it is done the better. Newbern and Dublin Depot, on the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, would be the best point to start from, and their march to Kanawha Valley would be through Giles, Mercer, Raleigh, and Fayette, by a good turnpike road.

The militia west of Kanawha River are embodied, and I hope in a few days to render General Cox's position untenable.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JOHN B. FLOYD,

Brigadier-General, C. S. Army.

Numbers 20.] HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE KANAWHA,

Camp Gauley, Va., August 24, 1861.

Brigadier General HENRY A. WISE:

SIR: I have good reason to believe that the enemy have abandoned all idea of crossing the Gauley River in force. If they have any thought of an attack upon us it must be against all at this point, and this I greatly doubt. But Ia m fully able to defend myself against the combined forces of General Cox and Colonel Tyler both together, and court